What Never Should Be: The Sex Gas Debacle
by blucougar57
Summary: Torchwood's newest recruit tests the patience of all her colleagues in her efforts to fit into a daunting new career.
1. An Exercise In Patience

There were times that Jack regretted the choices that he'd made. More often than he cared to admit, he wished he'd forsaken Torchwood and stayed with the Doctor and Rose in the TARDIS. It was far too tempting to bundle up Ianto... and Toshiko, too... and just flee the planet entirely. He could do it, no doubt about it. The Doctor had, albeit reluctantly, left him with a fully functioning vortex manipulator, and Jack could have easily used it to go anywhere and any-when.

And therein lay the problem.

The Doctor trusted him to be responsible, and Jack had sworn an oath to make the agency into something the Doctor could be proud of. Running away meant abandoning Torchwood to the dubious control of UNIT, and that was not an acceptable option.

Jack understood what his problem was. He simply didn't cope well with change. A by-product of so many not-so-distant traumas, Jack had found that once he was comfortable with things being just so, he really didn't like it when changes happened.

It hadn't always been that way. Once upon a time, he'd relished change, and then ability to adjust to new situations had been as natural to him as breathing. Now? Not so much. Now, the idea of his world changing significantly in any way sent a spark of very real fear through him. He craved stability and balance – two things that Ianto was able to provide in direct contrast to the insanity that was Torchwood.

Tosh and Owen offered a degree of stability, too, in their own unique ways. Though their arrivals had marked a shift in the balance, it was a shift that Jack had been prepared for. Suzie's treachery had been the first thing, though, that had threatened to send Jack into psychological retreat, and it may well have happened if not for Ianto's unwavering support. There was a new challenge facing him now, however, and it went by the name of Gwen Cooper.

Against his gut instincts and better judgement, he'd decided to give her a chance for two reasons. First and foremost, it was because Ianto saw a spark of promise in her. Secondly, loathed though he was to admit it, Jack saw something of himself in the woman. It had been his own curiosity and persistence that had led him to eventually being recruited by the Time Agency, setting him on the path that had led to where he was now. In all truth, he couldn't fault her tactics and there _was_ something to be said for her refusal to dismiss out of hand everything she'd witnessed.

On the other hand, Jack intended to watch her like a hawk for the foreseeable future. Mistakes would be tolerated – no one was infallible, not even the Doctor – but if she did anything to put her new colleagues at risk, then Jack would not hesitate in dosing her with enough retcon to wipe her memory clean.

Ianto knew he felt that way, and had agreed to the stipulations. As far as Gwen would be aware, she would simply be working on probation for six months before being eligible to become a fully-fledged Torchwood field agent, and Jack had no intention of taking it easy on her. If she made it, it would be because she deserved to make it, through good, old-fashioned hard work.

The delicious aroma of coffee filling his nostrils served to effectively bring him back to reality. He blinked and looked up at Ianto.

"Stop thinking so hard," Ianto teased lightly. "I could almost hear you over the top of the coffee machine."

"Very funny," Jack retorted but at the same time he couldn't resist a small smile. "Am I really that obvious?"

Ianto lavished a loving kiss on the top of Jack's head.

"Only to me, sweetheart. Want to share what's on your mind?"

"I was thinking about Cooper... I mean, Gwen. If the rift stays quiet, we could bring her in tomorrow and start her training. Just the basics, to begin with, you know? Have her read through the new charter, learn the most commonly used protocols and rules, and maybe some basic weapons proficiency training."

Ianto nodded his agreement, please with Jack's carefully methodical approach.

"That sounds like a great starting point. It might not be a bad idea to take her into the field for anything that isn't high-risk, either, like basic search and retrieval."

"No way," Jack growled. "I'm not taking a newbie into the field. Even Tosh and Owen were here for two weeks before they got to leave the Hub."

Ianto coughed.

"Not quite that long for Owen. Thank God you spent that time with him on weapons training."

Jack glowered at Ianto.

"I was thinking about making sure he didn't accidentally shoot himself or someone else, not that he'd need to go out and confront a race of alien game hunters. You could have gotten him _and_ yourself killed. No, she won't be going anywhere until I'm satisfied she won't put herself or anyone else at risk."

"Calm down, love," Ianto murmured. "I only meant take her strictly as an observer." He held up his plastered hand and wiggled his protruding fingers, enticing a giggle from Jack. "As long as I'm on desk duty, you might as well."

Jack huffed in half-hearted annoyance. As much as he hated to concede, he knew Ianto was right.

"Fine, but only as an observer. And if she gets in the way, I reserve the right to lock her in the cell next to Brad."

Ianto smirked.

"Well, I suppose that's an improvement on wanting to shoot her."

"Too much mess to clean up afterwards," Jack said with a shrug. "Then there's the boyfriend to deal with, any ex-police buddies who might get nosey... Nah, I think I'd rather just keep her next to Brad."

Ianto laughed softly. He couldn't describe his relief that Jack was at least willing to give the woman a half-way decent chance. Maybe, just maybe, this would work out after all. There was still one issue to deal with, though.

"Jack, please don't get upset but there's one other thing that you need to decide."

"No," Jack said softly, knowing without having to ask what Ianto meant. "I don't want her to know about my... history with Torchwood."

There was no outburst, no agitation, just quiet certainty. Ianto nodded in understanding and acceptance.

"I understand. I'll talk to Tosh and Owen, make sure they don't let anything slip."

"I just don't know how much she can really be trusted yet," Jack explained. "This isn't like with Tosh or Owen... or even Suzie. We didn't seek her out because she has skills that we need. She fell into it by accident. I didn't trust Suzie enough to tell her, and I recruited her myself. I won't be confiding in PC Cooper until I'm good and ready to."

Ianto smiled and ruffled Jack's hair lightly.

"Better hope the Doctor doesn't show up for a visit too soon. I'm not quite sure how we'd explain him."

"If she reads the Charter like she's supposed to, we won't need to explain anything. A simple 'this is the Doctor' should be more than enough."

A light rap on the door drew their attention, and they looked around in unison to see Tosh in the doorway. The smile on her lips told them exactly what she thought of finding them huddled together.

"Sorry to break this up, boys, but we have incoming."

Jack's eyebrows went up.

"Incoming what? Space junk? Rift activity? Hot alien bikini babes?"

She smirked in appreciation of his humour.

"Incoming meteor, Jack. It'll be entering our skies in approximately five minutes. I estimate it will impact on the edge of the Brecon Beacons."

"Well, at least it's away from the general population," Jack mused. "Okay, let's get our gear together."

Ianto coughed loudly, and waved his plastered arm awkwardly, struggling not to laugh at Jack's pout.

"Jack, it won't hurt. It should be a standard reconnaissance and retrieval."

Jack continued to pout, but didn't argue.

"Fine. Send a text, call her in. She'd better be here by the time we're ready to go, or she'll be left behind."

Ianto smiled and struggled to swallow a laugh as Jack quite literally flounced out his office.

"Fair enough."

* * *

><p>It took great restraint on Ianto's part not to listen in on what was happening whilst the team was out. He had no qualms about admitting he was painfully curious, but at the same time he didn't want Jack to think he was monitoring them. After all, it was meant to be a simple reconnaissance trip to ensure the meteorite was just that – a meteorite with no added extras.<p>

Gwen had been nervous upon arriving at the Hub, and Ianto hoped that nervousness might temper any bouts of over-enthusiasm. Basically, as long as she kept her mouth shut, her eyes open and her hands to herself, there would be no problems.

Oh, how Ianto hoped there were no problems.

When the team arrived back, and the first thing Ianto heard was Gwen's incessant apologies, his heart sank. As they filed in, and Ianto took in the varying stressed looks of his colleagues, and in particular the thunderous look on Jack's face, he knew something had gone seriously awry.

"I'm sorry," Gwen said, making Ianto cringe internally. Jack had an incredible reserve of patience, but one thing that would inevitably push him beyond breaking point was time was time-wasting self-pity. Whether she realised it or not, Gwen's relentless apologies were exactly that – self-pity.

"I'm really sorry," Gwen insisted when no one responded to her most recent offers. Jack turned abruptly and spoke in a strained tone that was far more tolerant than Ianto had expected.

"Seriously, stop saying that."

"But I really am," she said, sounding almost on the verge of tears. Ianto sympathised with her, to a point. He vividly remembered his first day working for Torchwood London, and he knew it was one hell of a steep learning curve. Even a newbie coming into Torchwood after an established career at UNIT would find it hard to adjust to the agency, so it was no stretch to accept that a lowly police constable was floundering.

On the other hand, wallowing in self-pity would achieve nothing, except to piss off Jack. He was about to ask what had happened when the printer nearby came to life and spat out a sheet of paper. He paused to read it through with growing interest and concern, whilst listening to the heated discussion going on behind him.

"You were throwing things at each other!" Gwen argued, sounding defensive now. Ianto shot a frown in Jack's direction and wasn't entirely surprised that Jack wouldn't meet his gaze. After all, it wasn't the first time that Ianto had chastised him and Owen for acting like irresponsible and hyperactive ten year-olds.

Owen, unsurprisingly, was less guilt-riddled than his captain.

"_We_ didn't miss," he snarked. "Now we've got an alien gas loose in the atmosphere, doing who knows what. Well done, PC Cooper."

There was a biting edge to Owen's words, not dissimilar to the tone he'd often used when altercating with Suzie, and Ianto had to keep himself from reminding the medic that Gwen was not Suzie. To his quiet relief, he didn't need to. Tosh spoke up for their newest recruit, fixing Owen with a warning glare.

"It's only her first day. Leave her alone."

Gwen threw a grateful look in Tosh's direction as Owen conceded and backed off. She then spoke in a tone that held more fortitude than she truly felt.

"I'll fix it. Just tell me what to do."

Jack shot her a mildly withering look before clapping his hands together to draw the team's attention back to himself.

"Okay, let's focus, people. Start looking for reports of anything out of the ordinary. Anything at all, no matter small, might be a lead."

"Well, then, this might be of interest," Ianto spoke up, holding up the print-out. He resisted the urge to side-step as Gwen practically charged up the steps to look at the print-out. "Death in a nightclub. Unusual circumstances, to say the least."

"Let's go!" Jack ordered. As the others headed back towards the garage, Jack paused to steal a kiss from his young lover.

"Thought you'd order Gwen to stay behind," Ianto remarked. Jack was unperturbed by the light teasing.

"She's partly responsible. She'll see this through and then I'll decide whether she deserves to stay, depending on how she performs now."

Ianto sighed in resignation. He knew there was nothing he could say and, to be fair, Jack was being more than generous. He returned Jack's kiss.

"Go on. I'll monitor the comms."

* * *

><p>It was hard, so very hard for Gwen to maintain a diplomatic silence in the SUV, but she somehow managed. In her wildest imaginings, she hadn't thought her first day in this exciting new job could be so horrendous. Despite her argument with Owen, prat that he was, she knew she had to accept responsibility for what had happened. She was a mature adult, for God's sake, and she knew damn well that tossing tools around was a bad idea at any time. Her utter inability to throw anything accurately had seen her blackballed from pretty much all sports at school and any delusions she had that her throwing skills might have since improved were just that – delusions.<p>

Of course, knowing she should take responsibility and actually doing so were two different thing. In hermind, she had already done so, via her many apologies on the way back to the Hub. And then, hadn't she offered to fix the problem herself? It wasn't her fault if her new colleagues wouldn't allow her to fix what she was starting to believe hadn't been such a huge mistake.

She sank down in the seat a little, ashamed of herself. She knew full well that her declaration that she'd fix it was just hot air. In truth, she didn't even know where to start. If it hadn't been for that office boy... what was his name...? If it hadn't been for him producing that print-out, they'd probably all still be at the Hub, arguing over what to do.

Her eyes alighted on Jack, but he was seated directly in front of her, and all she could see was the back of his head. Not that it really mattered, she thought ruefully. He was almost impossible to read, and right then she had no idea of where she stood with him. She couldn't work out if he was angry, frustrated, annoyed, all of the above...

Maybe if he'd just yelled at her and gotten it over with, then she wouldn't be all twisted up over it now. He hadn't, though, and she was left to wonder how she could possibly redeem herself. It wasn't until after they'd seen the CCTV footage of the poor kid being turned into orgasmic dust, and they finally tracked the possessed girl to her house barely in time to save another boy, that Gwen started to suspect that she couldn't.

* * *

><p><em>to be continued...<em>


	2. Misjudgements

Gwen had to admit, to herself if to no one else, that she was confused. It had nothing to do with snogging Carys – Jack had explained to her that she'd just been overwhelmed by alien pheromones, and that it was nothing to be embarrassed about. Although, she could have sworn she'd overheard Owen muttering something to himself about CCTV and digital copies, and she was definitely going to be having a word with him later about _that_, if it meant what she suspected it did. No, what confused her was that despite what Jack had said about doing more to help, here they were, sitting and eating Chinese while the poor girl suffered in the cells.

And yet, despite herself, Gwen couldn't help but be drawn into the conversation and the lively banter. The stories Jack was telling seemed too outrageous to be true, and yet the others weren't denying anything he was saying. Then, Jack disappeared to go to the bathroom, and the questions started.

"So what's he told you?" Owen asked, pinning her with what she personally thought was a beady-eyed stare.

"What do you mean?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound as nervous as she suddenly felt. "Told me about what?"

"About himself! C'mon, PC Cooper, spill the beans."

She looked around at the three of them, trying to work out what to say, if anything at all. After all, Jack had trusted her to keep his secret, and suddenly she felt a surge of self-importance that she couldn't suppress despite her best efforts; that even though she was the newest member, she was privy to knowledge about Captain Jack Harkness that the rest of his team wasn't. It was an awesome position, and the thought of it nearly took her breath away.

She wouldn't allow it to go to her head, though, she told herself sternly. After all, she wouldn't have known the secret either, if she hadn't been there to witness it. She had no delusions that Jack would have told her, otherwise.

"You've all known him longer," she pointed out. "Surely he's told you more?"

"Nothing," Owen declared, quite comfortable in truth by omission. It hadn't been Jack to tell him the truth, it had been Ianto and Tosh. "Except for him being gay."

* * *

><p>Across the table, Ianto nearly choked on a mouthful of rice. The so-called impromptu interrogation had been planned as a test to see whether Gwen could be trusted to keep her word under moderate pressure from her colleagues, but Jack had left it to them to decide what to put to her, and how. Honestly, Ianto had no idea what Owen thought he was achieving in throwing something like that on the table.<p>

For her part, Gwen looked genuinely startled and, if Ianto wasn't mistaken, perhaps just a touch disappointed.

"He's not! Is he...?"

Owen smirked, and Ianto wanted to smack him. The bastard knew damn well that Jack was listening in on the conversation from his office.

"Period military is _not_ the clothing of choice for a straight man."

Gwen smiled, then, and Ianto suppressed a groan at the predictable doe-eyed look of someone at risk of developing a romantic crush.

"I think it suits him."

"So do I," Tosh agreed, though she had a much less dreamy look on her face. Ianto wondered fleetingly whether he and Jack should make it clear to Gwen that they were in a relationship, and just as quickly dismissed the notion. Firstly, it was no one else's business and secondly, Gwen already had a boyfriend. He could excuse girlish infatuation, confident that it would go no further.

Realising they were all stating their opinions on the likelihood of Jack's supposed homosexuality, Ianto quickly spoke up, knowing as he did that the reality of Jack's sexual nature went far beyond any labels that twenty-first century humans could supply.

"And I don't care."

Perhaps not strictly true, but Jack's preference just weren't as simple as being a choice between male or female. Jack loved regardless of gender, race, colour, creed or species. The narrow categories that humans boxed love into simply weren't a factor to a man who had been born and raised in the fifty-first century on a colony planet many millions of light years from Earth.

Ianto had wondered once how Jack could possibly love him when it was clear that he also harboured a deep love for the Doctor and Rose. Over time, though, that question had changed from 'how could he', to 'how could he not'. Ianto had long since ceased questioning Jack's love for him, and had learnt to accept it for what it was – open and infinite.

Thanks to Owen's less than innocuous comment, though, the purpose of the moment had been lost. Ianto had to give Gwen credit, though. She'd given away nothing of what she knew about Jack. That was definitely one point in her favour to balance out the unfortunately poor start she'd had.

As the banter subsided, a new sound became audible. It was the heartbreaking sound of Carys weeping.

"What are we doing?" Gwen implored as Jack walked back in. "We're sitting around, making jokes while a young girl is fighting for her life!"

"Well," Jack said in a dry tone as he dropped back into his seat, "while we've been sitting here, the computers have been analysing the air and atmosphere in the cells, as well as Carys' vital signs, and compiling all the data so that we can analyse it quickly and make the best decision that might help us to save her life. Is that enough for you? Would you like us to do something more?"

Jack was pushing her, Ianto realised, to see how she'd react. The truth was that he held an almost painful empathy for the girl in their cells, but he was deliberately masking it to see how Gwen would respond.

Gwen stood there, regarding them with a pitying stare.

"You've all been down here too long. You've forgotten what it is to be human."

Ianto felt, rather than saw, Jack bristle and he felt much the same way. He really did not appreciate a newcomer, who knew next to nothing about them all, accusing them of having forgotten what it meant to be human.

Jack stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"Well, then, PC Cooper. Why don't you show us? Remind us what it means to be human."

Gwen looked around at them determinedly. She seemed oblivious to the way she'd just insulted every one of her new colleagues.

"All right. I will."

* * *

><p>"Well, she didn't give anything about you away," Ianto said as he and Jack sat together in Jack's office. "That's surely got to count for something."<p>

He was clutching at straws, and he knew it. Jack was already reticent about having her in the Hub, and her little performance earlier had done nothing to improve his attitude towards her.

For his part, Jack said nothing. His eyes were on the Hub beyond the open door of his office. Owen had disappeared back into Autopsy; Tosh was analysing data at her computer and Gwen... Basically, Jack had no idea what Gwen was doing, and he wasn't so sure she knew, either.

"She's sticking things up on our charting wall," he said flatly. Ianto twisted a little in his chair to look.

"Maybe she's planning show and tell," he suggested lightly. When the remark was met with a blank stare from Jack, Ianto shook his head.

"Never mind. Do you want me to see what she's doing?"

Jack offered his lover an imploring look.

"Please? I'm worried I'll just get mad and lose my temper. I mean, look at her! She didn't even ask, and now the charting wall is going to be all sticky and horrible to touch the next time we need to use it!"

Amused, but also sympathetic, Ianto went to check on their newest recruit. As he got closer, he realised that many of the photos she'd stuck to the wall were of Carys.

"What's all this, then?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible, given the circumstances. Gwen glanced at him and, for a brief moment, he suspected she was trying to remember his name.

"Oh... Hi, Ianto."

Yep, he thought wryly. Definitely struggled to remember his name.

"This is everything I could find on Carys, about her life. Everything from Kindergarten through to high school graduation. Her family... all of it."

Ianto raised an eyebrow as he began to realise what it was that Gwen was trying to do – albeit, in a random and somewhat ham-fisted way. It was a noble effort, and full marks for trying, but Ianto failed to see how it was going to help them to separate the alien entity from the frightened girl in the cells below.

"And what is it meant to achieve?" Ianto asked. He didn't really mean to be quite so blunt, but he wanted her to start thinking her actions through, to not just throw herself into any idea that happened to occur to her. She needed to learn that action without forethought was never a good idea in Torchwood.

His mind went briefly to his experience with the Clyreney, and he very nearly winced. The jury was still out on _that_ one. He came back to reality to find Gwen was looking at him with an offended expression.

"Jack told me to remind you all what it means to be human, and that's what I'm doing. All of this, this is what being human is all about. The simple things. Growing up, being part of a family. Having someone who loves you."

Ianto fought to keep his expression neutral and his voice calm, but inwardly he was fuming that Gwen could have the gall to assume that none of them understood those things.

"Do you think we all sprouted from the cabbage patch, Gwen? We all have families and we all have our memories of growing up. Despite what you seem to believe, there is plenty of humanity to be found in our little group."

The look on Gwen's face was one of utter disdain, and when she spoke, Ianto felt not unlike a child being corrected by a teacher or a parent.

"And yet none of you seem to care about what happens to Carys."

"You have a lot to learn, Gwen," Ianto said soberly, "but one thing you'd be wise to get into your head right now is that you shouldn't make assumptions about people that you hardly know. Jack, most of all."

If anything, her frown deepened as she turned her attention back to the picture-covered wall.

"I'll bet I know more about him than you do."

It was muttered under her breath, but Ianto heard clearly enough. His gaze narrowed, but then he shook it off. Now was not the time for a confrontation, not when there were more serious matters to deal with.

"This is an admirable effort at profiling, Gwen, but you need to be willing to think more broadly. How can this help us? How can it help Carys? When you have an idea about how to answer those questions, then I think you'll find Jack will be ready to listen to you."

"Excuse me," Gwen said tersely as Ianto started to walk away, "but aren't you just the office boy?"

It quickly became apparent that Tosh had been listening surreptitiously, from the way her hands suddenly clattered clumsily over her keyboard. Slowly, Ianto turned back and fired Gwen with an appraising stare. In a moment, he made his choice. He was not going to allow a repeat of the situation with Suzie, especially since he was the one who had advocated that Jack take her on.

"I deal with administrative matters," he said calmly. "As Second-in-Command to Jack, it falls within the boundaries of my responsibilities."

Silence met his words, and Ianto could almost see her processing the information.

"I thought Suzie was Second-in-Command," she said finally, sounding as though she was caught somewhere between suspicion and embarrassment. Ianto easily read between the lines. She had assumed that Jack had hired her as the new Second. It was definitely time to put her straight.

"Suzie said she was Jack's second because she was hoping to cause instability between Jack and myself. She was trying to deflect attention away from herself."

"So that would make you...?"

Ianto offered her what he hoped was a conciliatory smile. He needed her to accept what he was about to say, or Jack would never accept _her_.

"Your immediate superior, and the one who is going to be in charge of most of your training."

He could see the objection in her eyes even before it found a voice.

"But that's ridiculous," she protested with a slightly hysterical laugh. "You don't even have any training, you don't go into the field..."

"What did I just say about assumptions?" Ianto chided her lightly. "I was trained by Torchwood One, in London. As for me not going into the field..." He lifted his plastered arm, and wiggled his fingers at her. "Not exactly conducive to good fieldwork, and I won't put anyone at risk when I'm not at one hundred percent fitness."

To her credit, Gwen blushed red in embarrassment, and murmured an apology, which Ianto responded to with a slight nod.

"Accepted. Now, this is not normally the way we'd train you. You only went out to the crash site because I was out of action, and you were meant to observe only."

"I really am sorry about that," she burst out, and Ianto suppressed an urge to growl.

"Stop apologising. Just be prepared to do whatever is necessary to resolve this issue."

"You mean saving Carys, don't you?" she asked anxiously. Ianto did sigh, then.

"Two lessons, Gwen. Don't make assumptions, not about anyone. Secondly, we don't always get happy endings in Torchwood."

The shock on Gwen's face quickly made way for anger and determination.

"No. No way. She is not going to die. I won't accept that. There has to be a way to save her, and we will find it in time."

Any further conversation was put on hold as an alarm suddenly rang loudly through the Hub.

"What is it?" Jack asked as he bounded out of his office. "More to the point, where is it?"

"The cells," Toshiko spoke up quickly. "Where Carys is."

Silence reigned as they all looked at one another in shocked realisation, and four voices said the same name at the same time.

"Owen!"

* * *

><p>It would have been funny, had the situation not been so serious. Owen had gone down to the cells to check on Carys, and had clearly underestimated the strength and effect of the alien pheromones. When Tosh and Gwen got down there, it was to find Owen locked in the cell in Carys' stead, handcuffed and butt-naked. As Tosh unlocked the door, Gwen couldn't resist the temptation to have a go at him.<p>

"All right, Owen? Or are you feeling a bit of a cock?"

Owen went red, and his embarrassment was compounded when Tosh sniggered.

"Shut it, Cooper," he snarled. "I came down to check on her because she was distressed. For all your bleating about what uncaring, inhuman bastards we all are, I noticed you never bothered to go anywhere near her."

Once again, Gwen found herself wrong-footed by her own thoughtlessness. Before she could respond, though, Jack's voice came over the Hub's speaker system.

"_Save the squabbling for later, kids. Carys is somewhere in the Hub, and we need to find her_."

"Mind if I get dressed first?" Owen asked snarkily.

"_If you really have to,_" Jack answered, sounding more than a little disappointed. "_But hurry up!_"

* * *

><p>Jack was rapidly losing his sympathy for Carys. Even though, logically, he knew that she was being driven by the alien presence inside her, it was becoming increasingly hard to dissociate the innocent girl from the increasingly violent behaviour.<p>

As Jack staggered from the blow to his leg that Carys had just delivered, courtesy of a medieval mace that _someone_ had failed to put away, he couldn't help but wonder whether there was enough of Carys left to save. Immediately, he buried that thought with all the brutality that it deserved. After all, where would he be now if Ianto had decided he wasn't worth saving? He shuddered at the thought, and resolved then and there that he was not going to let this girl down.

Then, she emerged from his office and Jack's heart stuttered painfully in his chest. She had in her hands the precious piece of coral that the TARDIS had gifted to him.

"Put that down, please," he begged. He knew he sounded desperate, and he didn't care. If she smashed the coral, it would break his heart.

"Then let me go!" she cried. With reluctance, Jack released the cog door. Carys paused in the doorway, staring at Jack with a stricken look, and for an instant he was able to see the helpless and terrified young girl rather than the alien that possessed her.

"Please, help me!"

Then she was gone, taking the coral with her.

* * *

><p>Jack gave chase, less desperate to stop Carys than he was to save the coral. Carys could be found again, but the coral was irreplaceable. He made it to the office in time to find Carys trying to force the outer door, which was obviously locked. Ianto was there, at the ready, though Jack had no idea how he'd gotten up there so fast, especially with a heavy plaster cast on his arm.<p>

"Need me to do any attacking, sir?" the younger man asked. Jack shot him a look that spoke volumes. Firstly, with one broken arm, Ianto was in no condition to be attacking anyone. Secondly, Jack knew Ianto would no more risk the coral than he would. Thirdly, Ianto was shite at bluffing.

"No, that's okay," Jack said, keeping his voice forcibly calm. "Just open the door."

To his relief, Ianto did as told without question.

"Okay, the door's open," Jack told her. "Now give me the coral."

Jack realised what she was going to do just seconds Carys hurled the coral across the office, clearly intent on smashing it. He lunged, over-extending his arms to the point where it felt like his shoulders were going to pop out of their joints. His fingers closed around the coral and he twisted so that he landed on his back, with the coral clutched to his chest.

It took him a few seconds to regain his equilibrium and when he did, he knew without looking that Carys was well and truly gone.

"Is she all right?" Ianto asked softly. Jack focused his mind on the coral, ignoring the footsteps that heralded Tosh and Gwen's arrival. He felt the psychic warmth emanating from the coral, and smiled up at Ianto in relief.

"It's okay. She's okay, she hasn't been harmed."

"What the hell are you going on about, Jack?" Gwen demanded. "Carys isn't okay, she's bloody gone!"

Jack looked at her darkly as he got to his feet.

"I didn't have a choice. I had to let her go."

"You had to... Bloody hell, Jack, just what is more important to you? A girl's life or a bloody seaside souvenir?"

Jack's expression had turned positively deadly.

"The seaside souvenir," he snapped, "every time."

He stormed back into the Hub, leaving behind two stunned women and one exasperated Welshman.

"So what do we do now?" Gwen asked angrily. "Just sit back and wait until the bodies start piling up again? Blood hell."

Tosh waited until Gwen had gone back into the Hub as well before speaking anxiously to Ianto.

"He didn't mean that, did he? Tell me he didn't mean that, Ianto."

Ianto sighed as he relocked the tourist office's outer door.

"Tosh, the Doctor gave that piece of coral to Jack. It's from the TARDIS, and if it's grown properly it could eventually become a TARDIS in its own right. You and I, and everyone Jack cares about, will eventually die and he'll be left behind to go on, whether he wants to or not. But that piece of coral, if it does become a TARDIS, will be with Jack forever. So as much as I wish I could say he didn't mean it, I can't. I think he probably did mean it and what's more, I don't think I can blame him."

It was Tosh's turn to sigh.

"I can't say that I like it, but I understand."

"Thank you. Now, let's go and make sure he and Gwen don't come to blows."

* * *

><p>Jack had retreated to his office, most likely to return the coral to its place on his desk, and Gwen was venting her displeasure at Jack's priorities to the nearest unfortunate soul – namely, Owen.<p>

"He just let her go! All to save some cheap bloody souvenir!"

"Leave it, Gwen," Owen warned her. "If there's anything I'm sure of, it's that Jack doesn't keep meaningless souvenirs. If he thought saving that... whatever it is was more important than stopping Carys escaping, then it must be pretty important."

"Oh yeah?" Gwen countered. "Then why doesn't he explain to us what it is? Tell us why it's more important than that poor girl."

"Because," Jack growled as he emerged from his office, "you do not need to know everything, Gwen."

She looked set to argue, but then seemed to think better of it.

"Fine," she retorted. "Have your silly little secrets, then. What are we going to do about Carys?"

Jack looked past her to the tracking wall, still adorned with Carys' short life history.

"You put that together?"

She nodded, preening just a tiny bit in anticipation of praise.

"That's right."

Jack glanced to Ianto, but the young man's expression gave nothing away. He was letting Jack deal with this as he saw fit, and Jack wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or grateful.

"You must know Carys pretty well, then," Jack said in an admirably even tone. Gwen was starting to look uneasy, as though she could sense she was about to get burned, but couldn't work out how.

"Reasonably," she answered.

"Then how about you quit postulating and start putting it to practical use? Tell me, Gwen. Where would Carys go?"

"And you might want to be quick about it," Owen added. "The longer this goes on, the worse the pressure will be on her body. Sooner or later, something's going to give, and when it does it won't be pretty."

"I never had to deal with anything like this in the police!" Gwen burst out defensively.

"You're welcome to go back to it any time you like," Jack told her, "but it'll be with no memory of us, or of Torchwood." He paused, taking in the distress on her face, and his expression softened just a little. "This might seem like a bad situation, but it doesn't have to end badly. Take what you know. Think logically. Where would Carys go? She's a young woman, she doesn't have a lot of worldly experience but she's possessed by an alien gas that craves orgasmic energy. Where is she going to go to get it?"

Gwen ran her fingers through her hair in growing anxiety.

"I don't know... Clubs?"

"Too early," Jack said. "Plus, it'd be no sure thing, even with those pheromones. Think, Gwen."

"I don't know!" she choked out. "I'm sorry, I just don't know!"

"Well, this one's great under pressure," Owen snarked.

"Don't, Owen," Jack snapped. "Now is not the time for it."

"I think I might know where she'll be headed," Tosh said abruptly. "She works as a casual receptionist at the Conway Clinic." Tosh looked up at Jack worriedly. "It's a sperm donor clinic."

* * *

><p><em>to be continued...<em>


	3. Decisions

**A/N:** There have been comments that this story has turned into a Gwen-bash fic. That is not my intent, but nor did I have any intention of following Russell T Davies' example and completely ignoring Gwen's faults, and letting her make mistakes that get people killed without having her face consequences for those mistakes. Anyone who knows me would be aware that I hate Gwen, but I am working hard to portray Gwen realistically in these stories - as a flawed character who still has the potential to improve and do good.

If there are readers out there who consider any story that doesn't treat Gwen as perfect to be a Gwen-bash fic, then I'm sorry but I will not be false to the AU of this series that I am writing. Jack and Ianto's history in these stories is different to the show. The dynamics of the team are different and therefore the interactions will be different. Owen can still be a bastard, but he isn't the man-slut that he was portrayed as on the show. I don't intend to have Gwen so easily led astray, either. Tosh is more assertive and confident, primarily because she knows she has the trust and support of Jack and Ianto.

Gwen is not perfect, just like none of the other characters are perfect, and she will be written accordingly in this series. Not everything I write will be Gwen-friendly, but I don't believe she will ever be beyond redemption, either. She will make mistakes. She will be taken to task for making those mistakes. She will be forgiven and provided the chance to do better. That's how it is.

Now, please, enjoy... :)

* * *

><p>Listening in on the comms for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Ianto knew that something dramatic had happened. He heard the dismayed exclamations when they found the multiple piles of ashes and he heard the shouts when they found Carys. He heard what sounded suspiciously like Jack snogging Carys senseless, and the follow-up remark about not expecting a particular reaction. Ianto wondered bemusedly whether perhaps Carys had passed out. It would certainly account for Jack's indignation.<p>

Then, he heard Gwen begging the alien to leave Carys and use her instead, and Ianto very nearly knocked himself out when he tried to face-palm himself with his plastered hand.

Gwen had more than demonstrated that she had plenty of heart but as yet she wasn't doing so well on the common sense front. When he finally had a chance to sit her down and go over the basics with her, one of the first things he intended to teach her was that self-sacrifice invariably helped no one. It was something that he was still trying to make Jack understand. The second thing was that age-old adage – assumption was the mother of all fuck-ups.

Beyond Gwen's pleading, Ianto felt his stomach drop at the sound of Jack giving his approval, but he held his tongue. Above all else, he trusted Jack and he refused to do or say anything that might undermine Jack's authority.

The silence that followed was maddening. When Ianto heard the distinct sound of the SUV doors slamming, he finally surrendered to his anxiety and spoke through the comms.

"Someone had better tell me what's going on, or I'm going to come after you all, broken arm or not."

It was Owen who answered.

"Relax, teaboy. It's over. It's dead, Jack killed it."

"No, I did not," Jack growled. "It was already dying. We just stopped it from taking Carys with it." He paused and then added, "We're taking Carys home. I'll talk to you when we get back to the Hub."

Talk about Gwen, Ianto thought ruefully as Jack cut communications. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Whilst she had shown signs of promise, so far the negatives unfortunately seemed to outweigh the positives. He wouldn't go quite so far as to say that hiring her had been an unmitigated disaster, but it wasn't all that far off, either.

On the plus side, she was compassionate (to a point) and determined (or stubborn, depending on the situation). However, she had so far also showed tendencies towards being narrow-minded and judgemental, and those were traits that none of them needed to contend with.

With reluctance, Ianto headed to the coffee machine to make beverages in readiness for the team's return. He put extra special effort into making Gwen's just right for her – fully anticipating that come the next day Torchwood Three would be back to four members and that Gwen Cooper would once more be just another local plod with the Cardiff constabulary.

* * *

><p>"All right, people," Jack announced once the gear from the SUV had been put away and coffees had been drunk. "Go home. Paperwork can wait until tomorrow."<p>

Tosh and Owen immediately grabbed their things and were gone before Jack could change his mind. Gwen lingered, though, watching Jack uneasily. Jack turned to face her, knowing she would have to be dealt with before he could hope to be alone with Ianto.

"Well, Gwen?" he asked. She tried to smile, but couldn't manage it. Instead, she shuddered but managed to avoid the tears that had been threatening all the way back to the Hub.

"This has been the worst first day ever."

Jack sighed, then, and the stern look on his face softened a little. He could see she was scared and the last thing he wanted was to scare her, despite prior conversations with Ianto. When he spoke again, his voice was stern but not harsh.

"You made mistakes, but you weren't the only one. What I want to know, is can you learn from those mistakes and do better next time?"

Gwen let her breath out in a rush as it sank in that she was going to be leaving Torchwood that night with her memories intact.

"I can try," she offered sincerely.

"Do better than that," Jack warned her. "Tomorrow, you'll start training properly by learning the manual and all the basic safety protocols. It's going to be a long and boring day for you tomorrow, Gwen. I suggest you go home and rest. I don't want you having to keep relearning things because you aren't alert enough to fully understand them."

Visibly grateful, Gwen hurried from the Hub. Once she was gone, Ianto joined Jack on the couch with a second offering of coffee, which Jack accepted happily.

"I really thought you were going to retcon her," Ianto admitted. Jack savoured a mouthful of the delicious brew before answering.

"I won't say I didn't consider it. She made some bad mistakes today that got people killed, but she wasn't the only one to blame, either. I don't know... Maybe I shouldn't have tried so hard to save the coral. Maybe I shouldn't have tried so hard to save the coral. Maybe I shouldn't have let Carys escape."

"I can't really tell you whether than was the right choice or the wrong one. All I can say is that I understand the choice you made. That coral is irreplaceable."

Jack smiled weakly.

"I didn't want to have to explain to the Doctor why I didn't have it anymore... and I couldn't stomach the thought of it being destroyed. It's a living thing, not some... some..."

"Some seaside souvenir?" Ianto asked lightly. Jack huffed softly.

"Yeah. That."

"Understandable. So, you're going to give her another chance?"

Jack nodded.

"She could be a good agent, provided she's trained properly and she stops doing idiotic things. Were you listening over the comms when she offered herself to the alien?"

"I heard. It was a noble gesture, but she's going to have to learn that noble gestures usually only end up getting someone killed. How did you get around it, by the way? I mean, I heard you say yes..."

"I never had any intention of letting it get anywhere near Gwen," Jack reassured Ianto. "I went along with it because I knew Carys didn't have much left in her to fight with. If it didn't leave her, she was going to die. So when it left Carys and headed for Gwen, I used the containment disc that Owen used to stop Carys from escaping this morning when we found her at her house." He fished the disc out of his pocket and dropped it into Ianto's waiting hand. "It was an energy based containment field. It kept the alien contained just long enough for it to die. I didn't want to, but it wasn't going to give up. The disc is useless now. The battery is dead and we have no way of recharging it."

"Useful bit of tech, though," Ianto mused. "Must keep an eye out in case any more turn up. Alternatively, the next time the Doctor looks in on us, I'll see whether he can charge it up for us. I don't think he'd object. Anything that gives us the option to avoid violence is preferable."

"Yan..."

"Mm?"

"Something happened tonight."

Ianto looked at Jack quizzically.

"Are you going to tell me what?" he asked lightly when Jack hesitated.

"Carys was losing the fight," Jack explained. "She didn't have any strength left, and the alien was killing her."

"Yes, you said that."

"Well, she needed a fast boost, so I kissed her."

Ianto's eyebrows shot up. It didn't escape his attention that Jack was looking almost mortified with himself, and Ianto didn't need to make wild guesses to know that his partner and lover was nervous over making the admission.

"Okay, then. Did it work?"

"I'm not sure. She kind of went all glowy while I was kissing her, and then she passed out."

It took Ianto a good deal of effort not to laugh at him over that one.

"Not quite the reaction you would have been expecting."

Jack grinned as relief took hold.

"Well, it is _me_ we're talking about. The thing is, when we were cleaning the scene, Owen pulled me aside. You probably should let him know that you've told me about the accelerated healing. The poor guy nearly fell over himself trying to get his point across without giving anything away. I think what he was getting at was that I might be the one who's doing this to you... that I might be transferring what I've got to you when we kiss, or when we have sex."

A frown creased Ianto's forehead.

"Okay, that does make sense, but this isn't a sexually transmitted disease we're talking about here. Stop talking like it is."

"But if I _am_ doing to you... Aren't you angry?"

Ianto was baffled.

"Why would I be? Cariad, I think we both know that I'm not immortal but if what you're doing when we make love... however you're doing it... is causing me to heal faster, then I don't see how that could be anything but good."

The relief on Jack's face, then, was palpable.

"I just thought that you'd be mad," Jack admitted. "After all, you said you don't want to be immortal like I am."

"Jack," Ianto said quietly, "look at me."

Slowly, Jack lifted his eyes to meet Ianto's gaze, his expression showing all the vulnerability that he was so careful to hide from everyone else. Ianto was starting to wonder whether he would ever lose that deep-set sense of insecurity that the long years of imprisonment had instilled within him.

Forever was an awfully long time to have serious trust issues.

"I won't actively seek out immortality any more than I'm sure you sought it out. But if something does happen, whether it's purely by chance or through someone else's doing, I wouldn't reject it and I would never hate you for it."

"I love you, Yan," Jack murmured as he slid down a little and laid his head on Ianto's shoulder. "I wish I could have you forever but I don't want you to have to suffer like this. It's horrible and it hurts so much when I come back to life."

"I know," Ianto murmured. "I asked the Doctor if there was some way to make you mortal but he said it couldn't be done."

"That's me," Jack laughed, with a touch of bitterness. "The impossible thing."

Ianto grinned and nudged him encouragingly.

"Bet you've been called that before. Now, are we going to go home and shag each other senseless?"

"I don't know," Jack said with exaggerated thoughtfulness. "I'm feeling pretty tired. I don't know if I've got the energy for a shag."

They stared at each other for a good ten seconds before both men erupted into laughter.

"You shit-stirrer!" Ianto choked out as he wiped his eyes. "Bloody hell, Jack, I actually thought you were serious for a second there!"

Jack took the opportunity and leaned in for a kiss, which Ianto enthusiastically returned.

"C'mon. Let's go home."

* * *

><p>Rhys was still up when Gwen got home and, bless him, he'd kept a meal hot and ready.<p>

"Have I told you how much I love you?" she asked with gratitude. Rhys grinned good-naturedly at her.

"Not since last night. Now, come over here and have something to eat. You can tell me later how your first day on the new job went."

Gwen barely kept from wincing. Of course he'd want to know, and quoting the Official Secrets Act would only save her from having to talk in specifics. He would still want to know about her new colleagues, and other generalised things. So, what could she possibly say that wouldn't give away what an absolute cock-up she'd made of her first day?

It only took her a moment to realise that she didn't _want_ to hide it from him. She needed to talk and who better to talk to than the man she loved?

"I didn't have such a great day, actually," she admitted, and before she knew it the tears were coming in a flood.

"Hey, hey now," Rhys said in dismay as he hurried over to comfort her. "What's with the tears, love? It wasn't that bad, was it? C'mon, come over here and have a sit. Tell me what happened."

She sniffled and rubbed self-consciously at her eyes.

"I can't say specifically what happened. Government business, and all that. But I made a lot of mistakes, and people... some people got hurt."

She felt sick at the shocking understatement, but how could she possibly explain to him that she'd made mistakes that had gotten at least a dozen men killed? It was hard enough to admit to this much.

Rhys hugged her tightly, and that only made her weep more, feeling that she didn't deserve the comfort.

"Come on, now. What did your new boss say?"

Gwen shuddered.

"He was actually really good about it. They both were."

"They?" Rhys echoed, and Gwen nodded.

"Yeah. That was another thing. I mistook one of the bosses for being a bloody tea boy! God, it was awful, Rhys. I made a total idiot of myself."

"But you didn't get yourself sacked, or anything?" Rhys asked anxiously.

"No, nothing like that. I mean, I thought maybe... but no, they just told me to be prepared to start training properly tomorrow, and to do better. But god, Rhys, it was awful. I think I could really love being there, but I really screwed up today..."

Rhys sighed softly as he cuddled her to him.

"Listen to me. Are you listening? Do you want to quit? Go back to the police?"

"No," Gwen answered immediately. "No, I don't want that. Despite everything, I really liked that we were actually helping someone. That felt really good."

"So, if you don't want to quit, and your bosses didn't say they were going to sack you, then you know what you have to do, right?"

Gwen gathered herself, and looked her boyfriend in the eye.

"I have to keep at it. I can do better. I know I can."

Rhys pressed a lingering kiss to her temple.

"Exactly. Tomorrow'll be better, yeah?"

She uttered a strained laugh.

"Well, it couldn't be any worse, could it?" The instant she spoke the words, she wished she hadn't. "God, I just jinxed myself, didn't I?"

Rhys laughed heartily, and the sound of it brought a smile to Gwen's face.

"Don't believe in jinxes. What's that line from the Terminator movie? No fate but what we make. It's in your hands, Gwennie. You know you can do better, so just do it. Yeah?"

Gwen let her breath out in a rush, and the thought flitted through her mind that she was bloody lucky to have found a man such as Rhys.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Now, let's eat before you start quoting more Sci-Fi movies."

They laughed as they headed to the table, where a steaming lasagne was waiting. Rhys was right, Gwen decided. Today had been bad, but tomorrow was a new day and she could and would do better. She would do everything that Jack and Ianto asked of her, and be the best student she could be.

They would not regret hiring her, she swore it to herself.

* * *

><p><em>Fin.<em>


End file.
